Quantitative peptide or protein assay

ABSTRACT

Peptide and/or protein quantitation methods, kits, and compositions, particularly useful for mass spectrometry, are provided herein based on a bathocuproine-based composition complex such as bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate complex. The methods are one-step rapid absorbance methods using small sample volumes. They produce a robust signal with high signal to background ratio and accurately quantitate even complex peptide mixtures with low variability and high sensitivity.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/299,667, filed Mar. 12, 2019, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/674,831, filed Aug. 11, 2017, now abandoned, which is a divisional of Ser. No. 14/734,678, filed Jun. 9, 2015, now abandoned, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/010,594 filed Jun. 11, 2014, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

Peptide and/or protein assay methods, compositions, and kits, useful for determining the concentration of small volume samples before analysis by mass spectrophotometry (MS) and other types of analyses.

BACKGROUND

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a sensitive method for the simultaneous identification and relative quantitation of thousands of proteins between multiple samples. On-going advancements in MS instrumentation continue to push the ability of the scientific community to characterize the protein dynamics in complex biological systems to a great depth. Despite MS capabilities, a majority of MS samples are analyzed without significant pre-injection characterization or normalization, because current methods to monitor and measure proteins, such as UV absorption or bichinconic acid (BCA) assays, work poorly with peptides, consume too much valuable sample, and lack the required sensitivity. This lack of sample characterization and normalization leads to difficulties with standardization and reproducibility of MS experiments and significant under-productive instrument time.

Commercially available colorimetric protein and peptide solution quantitation methods include biuret (Gornall et al. J. Biol. Chem. 177 (1949) 751), Lowry (Lowry et al. J. Biol. Chem. 193 (1951) 265), bicinchoninic acid (BCA) (Smith et al. Anal. Biochem. 150 (1985) 76), Coomassie Blue G-250 dye-binding (Bradford, Anal. Biochem. 72 (1976) 248), and colloidal gold (Stoscheck, Anal. Biochem. 160 (1987) 301).

The biuret method is based on a protein forming a complex with cupric ions. Peptide nitrogen binds to copper (II) ion under alkaline conditions, producing a purple color. The absorption maximum of the product is 550 nm. The sensitivity is 1 mg protein/ml to 6 mg protein/ml. The biuret method is a relatively insensitive protein determination method compared to other commercial methods of colorimetric protein determination.

Another method combines the biuret reaction and the copper(1)-bathocuproine chelate reaction (Determination of Proteins by a Reverse Biuret Method Combined with the Copper-Bathocuproine Chelate Reaction. Clinica Chimica Acta., 216 (1993) 103-111). In this method, a sample protein forms a Cu²⁺-protein chelate complex (biuret reaction) during the first step. Excess Cu²⁺ is reduced to Cu⁺ by ascorbic acid, allowing Cu⁺ to form a Cu⁺-bathocuproine chelate complex during the second step. The amount of Cu⁺-bathocuproine chelate complex formed is inversely proportional to the protein concentration. This is a negative or indirect assay using a bathocuproine chelator to determine protein concentration.

The Lowry method is a modified biuret reaction. It occurs in two steps: first, peptide bonds react with copper(II) ions under alkaline conditions, then Folin-Ciocalteau phosphomolybdic-phosphotungstic acid reduces to heteropolymolybdenum blue by copper-catalyzed oxidation of aromatic amino acids. The absorption maximum of the product is 750 nm. The Lowry method is more sensitive than the biuret method, with a linear sensitivity of 0.1 mg protein/ml to 1.5 mg protein/ml for bovine serum albumin (BSA). Certain amino acids, detergents, lipids, sugars, and nucleic acids interfere with the reaction. The reaction is pH dependent and pH should be maintained between pH 10 and pH 10.5.

The BCA method is related to the Lowry method in that peptide bonds in proteins first reduce cupric ion (Cu²⁺) to produce a tetradentate-cuprous ion (Cu¹⁺) complex in an alkaline medium. The cuprous ion complex then reacts with BCA (2 molecules BCA per Cu¹⁺) to form an intense purple color that can be measured at 562 nm. The BCA-Copper reaction is shown below:

Because BCA is stable in alkaline medium, the BCA method can be carried out in one step, compared to two steps needed in the Lowry method. The BCA method better tolerates potential inhibitory or interfering compounds in the sample compared to the Lowry method. For example, up to 5% of each of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), Triton X-100, and Tween-20 can be present and not interfere with the BCA method, compared to only 1% SDS, 0.03% Triton X-100, and 0.062% Tween-20 that can be present and not interfere with the Lowry method. The BCA method also has increased sensitivity and an expanded linear working range compared to the Lowry method.

A MICRO BCA™ Protein Assay Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific) permits quantitation of dilute sample solutions (0.5 μg/ml to 20 μg/ml) by using larger sample volumes to obtain higher sensitivity. Despite the increased sensitivity, sample volume requirements limit or prevent its use for quantitation of many peptide samples.

A modified BCA assay to quantitate peptides (Kapoor et al. Analytical Biochemistry, 393 (2009) 138-140) acknowledges difficulties measuring peptide concentrations because of high interpeptide variation largely because of peptide hydrophobicity. The modified BCA method estimates peptide concentration by denaturing peptides by treatment at 95° C. for five minutes in the presence of SDS prior to incubation with the BCA working reagent. However, data below 500 μg/ml is very close to noise level and thus is not reliable.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,295 discloses using bicinchoninic acid as a chelator to detect proteins, measuring absorbance at 562 nm.

The colloidal gold method is the most sensitive among the colorimetric protein determination methods. Its sensitivity is about 2 μg/ml to 20 μg/ml protein. However, there is significant protein-to-protein variation. Protein binding to colloidal gold causes a shift in colloidal gold absorbance that is proportional to the amount of protein in solution. Most common reagents other than thiols and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) are compatible with the colloidal gold method.

The Coomassie Blue G-250 dye-binding method is based on the immediate absorbance shift from 470 nm to 595 nm that occurs when Coomassie Blue G-250 binds protein in an acidic medium. Color development is rapid and the assay can be performed in ten minutes. The Coomassie Blue G-250 dye-binding method is comparatively free from interference by common reagents except detergents. There is moderate protein-to-protein variation and the method does not work well with peptides.

A total protein assay (Sozgen et al., Talanta, 68 (2006) 1601-1609 Spectrophotometric total protein assay with copper (II) neocuproine reagent in alkaline medium) uses copper(II)-neocuproine (Nc) reagent in alkaline medium with a hydroxide-carbonate-tartarate solution, with neocuproine as chelator. After 30 min incubation at 40° C., absorbance of the reduction product, Cu(I)-Nc complex, is read at 450 nm against a reagent blank. This assay has limited sensitivity because of the limited solubility of neocuproine in alkaline aqueous solution.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,291 discloses a quantitative protein method. The method is an indirect two-step method. It uses two reagents: reagent A (tartrate solution and copper sulfate) and reagent B (reducing agent, e.g., ascorbic acid, and bathocuproine chelator). Reagent A contains 0.7 to 2 mmol/l Cu²⁺ ions and 2 to 4 mmol/l tartrate in alkaline solution. Reagent B contains 1 to 1.5 mmol/l ascorbic acid and 0.5 to 0.8 mmol/l bathocuproine. The proportion of reagent A to reagent B is 1:8 to 1:12, i.e., 1 part reagent A to 8-12 parts reagent B. The combined volume of reagent A and reagent B is between 750 μl and 3000 μl, which is relatively large. Step one of the method mixes 100 μl Reagent A to 50 μl sample, followed by incubating at room temperature for 5 min to 60 min. Step two of the method adds 1 ml reagent B to the step one mixture, followed by brief mixing and reading at 485 nm. This negative or indirect assay quantitates protein by the difference in absorbance in the pre-versus post-bathocuproine chelated sample. It is thus less accurate than a positive or direct assay that quantitates protein directly. It also uses a large volume of standard protein to reagent (volume standard protein to reagent A is 1:1.6 to 1:2.4).

The method provided herein overcomes such drawbacks and provides additional benefits.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows peptide quantitation using a method according to certain embodiments provided herein compared to the commercial MICRO BCA™ method.

FIG. 2 shows a digest quantitation using a method according to certain embodiments provided herein compared to the commercial MICRO BCA™ method.

FIG. 3 shows another peptide quantitation using a method according to certain embodiments provided herein compared to the commercial MICRO BCA™ method.

FIG. 4 shows peptide quantitation and variability using an embodiment of the methods provided herein.

FIGS. 5A-B show peptide quantitation and variability using other embodiments of the methods provided herein.

FIGS. 6A-B show effects of varying acetonitrile concentration using one embodiment of the methods provided herein with a BSA digest and HeLa digest.

FIGS. 7A-B show effect of acetonitrile of measuring peptide concentration using certain embodiments of the methods provided herein.

FIG. 8 shows peptide quantitation using an embodiment of the methods provided herein and a fluorescamine-based assay.

FIGS. 9A-B compares peptide quantitation using an embodiment of the methods provided herein and an indirect two-step method (Matsushita et al., Determination of Proteins by a Reverse Biuret Method Combined with the Copper-Bathocuproine Chelate Reaction. Clinica Chimica Acta. 216 (1993) 103-111).

FIG. 10 demonstrates the ability of one embodiment of the methods provided herein to quantitate labeled peptides from a tryptic protein digest.

FIGS. 11A-B demonstrate quantitation of individual peptides or complex digests that can be used to aid in evaluation and normalization of samples before MS analysis.

SUMMARY

One non-limiting use of the methods provided herein is for MS quantitation of peptides or peptide mixtures. The methods according to the present disclosure use small sample volumes, and result in a robust signal with high signal to noise ratio (S/N) compared to other methods. The methods provided herein accurately quantitate complex peptide samples, such as those generated by tryptic digestion of proteins, cell lysates, plasma or serum samples, with low variability.

One embodiment provided herein is a direct method for determining peptide or protein concentration in a sample, the method comprising

-   -   (a) combining the sample with a quantitation assay reagent         composition comprising a complex to form a mixture where the         complex comprises the following general formula:

where

-   -   each of R₁ and R₂ is independently alkyl including but not         limited to a C₁-C₆ straight or branched alkyl or a C₆-C₂₀ aryl,         alkylaryl, or arylalkyl such as methyl (—CH₃), ethyl (—CH₂CH₃),         propyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₃), butyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃) or phenyl (—C₆-C₅);     -   each of R₃ and R₄ is independently selected from the group         consisting of hydrogen (H), sulfonate (—SO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium         (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻)         salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and         carboxylate (—CO₂) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or         lithium (Li⁺); and     -   each of R₃ and R₆ is

-   -    where R₇ is independently selected from the group consisting of         hydrogen (H), sulfonate (—SO₃) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium         (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium         (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and carboxylate (—CO₂)         salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺);     -   with the proviso that at least one of R₃, R₄, and R₇ is not H;     -   (b) incubating the mixture under conditions sufficient to form a         colored complex; and     -   (c) measuring absorbance of the colored complex at 450 nm to 500         nm as a direct indicator of peptide or protein concentration in         the sample.

The method may further comprise, after (c), determining the peptide or protein concentration in the sample by comparing the directly measured absorbance with the absorbance of at least one sample containing a known concentration of a standard. The sample may be a biological sample. The sample may be plasma or serum. The standard can be a peptide, a peptide mixture, or a protein digest. The method may be performed prior to mass spectrometry analysis of the sample. The reagent composition in (a) may further comprise tartrate and copper sulfate. The incubation temperature in (b) may range from room temperature to about 45° C., or from about 19° C. to about 22° C., or may be about 37° C., or may be about 45° C. The sample may be a plurality of peptides. The sample volume may be about 5 μl, may not exceed about 200 μl, may range from about 5 μl to about 20 μl, from about 10 μl to about 20 μl, or from about 15 μl to about 20 μl. Absorbance may be determined by an automated microplate reader. The standard may be a peptide, a peptide mixture, or a peptide digest at a known concentration. The sample may be in a solvent that is an aqueous solvent, an organic solvent, or an aqueous and organic solvent. The method may further comprise, after (c), analyzing the peptide(s) by mass spectrometry. An assay component may contain at least one of an organic solvent or a detergent to improve peptide or protein solubility. In one embodiment the reagent composition is bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate with about 50% acetonitrile. Absorbance may be read at about 480 nm.

Another embodiment provided herein is a direct method for determining peptide or protein concentration in a sample comprising:

-   -   (a) combining the sample with a quantitation assay reagent         composition comprising a complex with 50% acetonitrile to form a         mixture, where the complex comprises the following general         formula:

where

-   -   each of R₁ and R₂ is independently alkyl including but not         limited to a C₁-C₈ straight or branched alkyl or a C₆-C₂₀ aryl,         alkylaryl, or arylalkyl such as methyl (—CH₃), ethyl (—CH₂CH₃),         propyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₃), butyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃) or phenyl (—C₆H₅);     -   each of R₃ and R₄ is independently selected from the group         consisting of hydrogen (H), sulfonate (—SO₃) salt of sodium         (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻)         salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and         carboxylate (—CO₂) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or         lithium (Li⁺); and     -   each of R₅ and R₆ is

-   -    where R₇ is independently selected from the group consisting of         hydrogen (H), sulfonate (—SO₃) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium         (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃) salt of sodium (Na⁺),         potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and carboxylate (—CO₂) salt of         sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺);     -   with the proviso that at least one of R₃, R₄, and R₇ is not H;     -   (b) incubating the mixture under conditions sufficient to form a         colored complex; and     -   (c) measuring absorbance of the colored complex at 450 nm to 500         nm as a direct indicator of peptide or protein concentration in         the sample.

The method may further comprise, after (c), determining the peptide or protein concentration in the sample by comparing the directly measured absorbance with the absorbance of at least one sample containing a known concentration of a standard. The standard may be a peptide, a peptide mixture, or a protein digest. The method may be performed prior to mass spectrometry analysis of the sample. The reagent composition in (a) may further comprises tartrate and copper sulfate. The incubation temperature in (b) may range from room temperature to about 45° C. or from about 19° C. to about 22° C., or may be about 37° C., or may be about 45° C. The sample volume may range from about 5 μl to about 20 μl. The sample may be a plurality of peptides. The sample volume may be about 5 μl, or may range from about 10 μl to about 20 μl, or from about 15 μl to about 20 μl, or may not exceed about 200 μl. Absorbance may be determined by an automated microplate reader. The standard may be a peptide, a peptide mixture, or a peptide digest at a known concentration. In the method, after (c), the peptide(s) may be analyzed by mass spectrometry. In one embodiment, the reagent composition is bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate. Absorbance may be read at about 480 nm. The sample may be a biological sample. The sample may be serum or plasma sample.

Another embodiment provided herein is a peptide quantitation reagent composition comprising at least one excipient and

-   -   (a) a complex at a concentration ranging from about 0.04 M to         about 0.1 M where the complex comprises the following general         formula:

where

-   -   each of R1 and R2 is independently alkyl including but not         limited to a C1-C6 straight or branched alkyl or each of R₁ and         R₂ is independently alkyl including but not limited to a C₁-C₆         straight or branched alkyl or a C₆-C₂₀ aryl, alkylaryl, or         arylalkyl such as methyl (—CH₃), ethyl (—CH₂CH₃), propyl         (—CH₂CH₂CH₃), butyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃) or phenyl (—C₆-C₅);     -   each of R₃ and Ra is independently selected from the group         consisting of hydrogen (H), sulfonate (—SO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium         (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻)         salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and         carboxylate (—CO₂ ⁻) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or         lithium (Li⁺); and     -   each of R₅ and R₆ is

-   -    where R₇ is independently selected from the group consisting of         hydrogen (H), sulfonate (—SO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium         (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium         (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and carboxylate (—CO₂ ⁻)         salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺);     -   with the proviso that at least one of R₃, R₄, and R₇ is not H;     -   (b) tartrate at a concentration ranging from about 5.7 mM to         about 22.7 mM, and     -   (c) copper sulfate at a concentration ranging from about 0.25 mM         to about 0.5 mM,     -   resulting in a peptide quantitation reagent composition.

Another embodiment provided herein is a peptide quantitation reagent composition comprising at least one excipient and

-   -   (a) a complex at a concentration ranging from about 0.04 M to         about 0.1 M in 50% acetonitrile, where the complex comprises the         following general formula:

where

-   -   each of R₁ and R₂ is independently alkyl including but not         limited to a C₁-C₅ straight or branched alkyl or a C₆-C₂₀ aryl,         alkylaryl, or arylalkyl such as methyl (—CH₃), ethyl (—CH₂CH₃),         propyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₃), butyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃) or phenyl (—CH₆H₅);     -   each of R₃ and R₄ is independently selected from the group         consisting of hydrogen (H), sulfonate (—SO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium         (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻)         salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and         carboxylate (—CO₂ ⁻) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or         lithium (Li⁺); and     -   each of R₅ and R₆ is

-   -    independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen         (H), sulfonate (—SO₃) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or         lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium (Na⁺),         potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and carboxylate (—CO₂ ⁻) salt         of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺);     -   with the proviso that at least one of R₃, R₄, and R₆ is not H;     -   (b) tartrate at a concentration ranging from about 5.7 mM to         about 22.7 mM, and     -   (c) copper sulfate at a concentration ranging from about 0.25 mM         to about 0.5 mM,     -   resulting in a peptide quantitation reagent composition.

Another embodiment provided herein is a peptide quantitation reagent kit comprising instructions for mass spectroscopy quantitation of peptides using the kit, and reagents comprising

-   -   (a) a complex comprising the following general formula:

where

-   -   each of R₁ and R₂ is independently alkyl including but not         limited to a C₁-C₆ straight or branched alkyl or a C₆-C₂₀ aryl,         alkylaryl, or arylalkyl such as methyl (—CH₃), ethyl (—CH₂CH₃),         propyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₃), butyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃) or phenyl (—C₆H₅);     -   each of R₃ and R₄ is independently selected from the group         consisting of hydrogen (H), sulfonate (—SO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium         (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻)         salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and         carboxylate (—CO₂ ⁻) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or         lithium (Li⁺); and     -   each of R₅ and R₆ is

-   -    independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen         (H), sulfonate (—SO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or         lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium (Na⁺),         potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and carboxylate (—CO₂ ⁻) salt         of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺);     -   with the proviso that at least one of R₃, R₄, and R₇ is not H;     -   (b) tartrate, and     -   (c) copper sulfate,     -   the composition having pH ranging from about pH 12 to about pH         13.

Another embodiment provided herein is a peptide quantitation reagent kit comprising instructions for mass spectroscopy quantitation of peptides using the kit, and reagents comprising

-   -   (a) a complex in 50% acetonitrile, where the complex contains         the following general formula:

where

-   -   each of R₁ and R₂ is independently alkyl including but not         limited to a C₁-C₆ straight or branched alkyl or a C₆-C₂₀ aryl,         alkylaryl, or arylalkyl such as methyl (—CH₃), ethyl (—CH₂CH₃),         propyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₃), butyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃) or phenyl (—C₆H₅);     -   each of R₃ and R₄ is independently selected from the group         consisting of hydrogen (H), sulfonate (—SO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium         (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻)         salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and         carboxylate (—CO₂ ⁻) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or         lithium (Li⁺); and     -   each of R₅ and R₆ is

-   -    independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen         (H), sulfonate (—SO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or         lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium (Na⁺),         potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and carboxylate (—CO₂ ⁻) salt         of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺);         with the proviso that at least one of R₃, R₄, and R₇ is not H;     -   (b) tartrate, and     -   (c) copper sulfate,     -   the composition having pH ranging from about pH 12 to about pH         13.

Another embodiment provided herein is a direct method for determining peptide or protein concentration in a sample, the method comprising:

-   -   (a) combining the sample with a quantitation assay reagent         composition comprising a complex to form a mixture where the         complex is

-   -   (b) incubating the mixture under conditions sufficient to form a         colored complex; and     -   (c) measuring absorbance of the colored complex at 450 nm to 500         nm as a direct indicator of peptide or protein concentration in         the sample.

The method may further comprise, after (c), determining the peptide or protein concentration in the sample by comparing the directly measured absorbance with the absorbance of at least one sample containing a known concentration of a standard. The sample may be a biological sample. The sample may be plasma or serum. The standard can be a peptide, a peptide mixture, or a protein digest. The method may be performed prior to mass spectrometry analysis of the sample. The reagent composition in (a) may further comprises tartrate and copper sulfate. The incubation temperature in (b) may range from room temperature to about 45° C., or from about 19° C. to about 22° C., or may be about 37° C., or may be about 45° C. The sample may be a plurality of peptides. The sample volume may be about 5 μl, may not exceed about 200 μl, may range from about 5 μl to about 20 μl, from about 10 μl to about 20 μl, or from about 15 μl to about 20 μl. Absorbance may be determined by an automated microplate reader. The standard may be a peptide, a peptide mixture, or a peptide digest at a known concentration. The sample may be in a solvent that is an aqueous solvent, an organic solvent, or an aqueous and organic solvent. The method may further comprise, after (c), analyzing the peptide(s) by mass spectrometry. An assay component may contain at least one of an organic solvent or a detergent to improve peptide or protein solubility. In one embodiment the reagent composition is bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate with about 50% acetonitrile. Absorbance may be read at about 480 nm.

Another embodiment provided herein is a direct method for determining peptide or protein concentration in a sample comprising:

-   -   (a) combining the sample with a quantitation assay reagent         composition comprising a complex with 50% acetonitrile to form a         mixture, where the complex contains

-   -   (b) incubating the mixture under conditions sufficient to form a         colored complex; and     -   (c) measuring absorbance of the colored complex at 450 nm to 500         nm as a direct indicator of peptide or protein concentration in         the sample.

The method may further comprise, after (c), determining the peptide or protein concentration in the sample by comparing the directly measured absorbance with the absorbance of at least one sample containing a known concentration of a standard. The standard may be a peptide, a peptide mixture, or a protein digest. The method may be performed prior to mass spectrometry analysis of the sample. The reagent composition in (a) may further comprises tartrate and copper sulfate. The incubation temperature in (b) may range from room temperature to about 45° C. or from about 19° C. to about 22° C., or may be about 37° C., or may be about 45° C. The sample volume may range from about 5 μl to about 20 μl. The sample may be a plurality of peptides. The sample volume may be about 5 μl, or may range from about 10 μl to about 20 μl, or from about 15 μl to about 20 μl, or may not exceed about 200 μl. Absorbance may be determined by an automated microplate reader. The standard may be a peptide, a peptide mixture, or a peptide digest at a known concentration. In the method, after (c), the peptide(s) may be analyzed by mass spectrometry. In one embodiment, the reagent composition is bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate. Absorbance may be read at about 480 nm. The sample may be a biological sample. The sample may be serum or plasma sample.

Another embodiment provided herein is a peptide quantitation reagent composition comprising at least one excipient and

-   -   (a) a complex at a concentration ranging from about 0.04 M to         about 0.1 M where the complex contains

-   -   (b) tartrate at a concentration ranging from about 5.7 mM to         about 22.7 mM, and     -   (c) copper sulfate at a concentration ranging from about 0.25 mM         to about 0.5 mM, resulting in a peptide quantitation reagent         composition.

Another embodiment provided herein is a peptide quantitation reagent composition comprising at least one excipient and

-   -   (a) a complex at a concentration ranging from about 0.04 M to         about 0.1 M in 50% acetonitrile, where the complex contains

-   -   (b) tartrate at a concentration ranging from about 5.7 mM to         about 22.7 mM, and     -   (c) copper sulfate at a concentration ranging from about 0.25 mM         to about 0.5 mM, resulting in a peptide quantitation reagent         composition.

Another embodiment provided herein is a peptide quantitation reagent kit comprising instructions for mass spectroscopy quantitation of peptides using the kit, and reagents comprising

-   -   (a) a complex containing

-   -   (b) tartrate, and     -   (c) copper sulfate,     -   the composition having pH ranging from about pH 12 to about pH         13.

Another embodiment provided herein is a peptide quantitation reagent kit comprising instructions for mass spectroscopy quantitation of peptides using the kit, and reagents comprising

-   -   (a) a complex in 50% acetonitrile, where the complex contains

-   -   (b) tartrate, and     -   (c) copper sulfate,     -   the composition having pH ranging from about pH 12 to about pH         13.

These and other embodiments will be further described as follows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate has 500% greater solubility in water compared to bathocuproine or neocuprione. The increased solubility allows higher concentrations of chelator in solution which ultimately provides better sensitivity.

The methods described herein provide increased sensitivity of peptide concentration determination. In one embodiment, sensitivity was as low as ok 25 μg/ml. In one embodiment, sensitivity was as low as 15 μg/ml peptide. In one embodiment, sensitivity ranged from 12.5 μg/ml-1000 μg/ml. The methods provided herein do not require peptide denaturation prior to performing the assay. Peptide denaturation on very small sample volumes is highly variable and time consuming. Eliminating the need for denaturation results in shorter assay duration and less assay variability.

The methods according to the present disclosure are positive or direct assays. They require a volume of about 200 μl, comprised of a sample volume from 10 μl to 20 μl, and a reagent volume of 180 μl. The methods provided herein allow higher levels of sensitivity to be achieved at a smaller sample volume compared to other commercial assays. The smaller volume enables the methods provided herein to be performed in a multi-well plate and to be read by an automatic reader, versus reading in cuvettes that typically require several, 0.5 ml to 2 mls of sample. The methods described herein permit use of much smaller sample volumes and smaller total volumes compared with the MICRO BCA™ method. The MICRO BCA™ assay requires 150 μl sample volume and 300 μl total volume. The previously described “negative” bathocuproine assay requires 50 μl sample volume and 1.15 ml total volume. In favorable contrast, the methods according to the present disclosure require 20 μl maximum sample volume and 200 μl total volume.

Like other copper based protein assays, certain amino acids in a peptide can increase or decrease the sensitivity of the methods. Peptide solubility and structure can also have an influence on the results. The methods provided herein are best used to quantitate peptides in complex samples containing a mixture of peptides where differences in peptide length and sequence are averaged out in the assay. This is of particular importance in measuring recovery from peptide fractionation methods or standardizing HPLC load amounts for quantitative proteomic analysis. The methods disclosed herein can also be used to assay samples containing a single peptide, however, this can result in increased error, resulting from a larger variation in assay response among different peptides compared to a standard. This can be compensated for by using standards more specific to the peptide of interest.

The methods provided herein are one-step (mix and read), and absorbance is read at 450 nm to 500 nm, in one embodiment at 480 nm.

The methods described herein provide for multiple peptide assays that allow detection and quantification of complex peptide mixtures before standard MS analysis in about 30 minutes.

The methods described herein provide 2-3 fold enhanced signal to background ratio (S/B) than the MICRO BCA™ assay at same sample volumes.

The methods provided herein exhibit decreased peptide to peptide variability due to solubilizing hydrophobic peptides by adding an organic co-solvent such as acetonitrile, detergents such as SDS and urea, and other water miscible organic solvents.

In certain embodiments, the peptide quantitation methods provided herein use a compound as chelator having the following general formula

where

-   -   each of R₁ and R₂ is independently alkyl including but not         limited to a C₁-C₆ straight or branched alkyl or a C₆-C₂₀ aryl,         alkylaryl, or arylalkyl such as methyl (—CH₃), ethyl (—CH₂CH₃),         propyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₃), butyl (—CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃) or phenyl (—C₆H₅);     -   each of R₃ and R₄ is independently selected from the group         consisting of hydrogen (H), sulfonate (—SO₃) salt of sodium         (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻)         salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and         carboxylate (—CO₂ ⁻) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or         lithium (Li⁺);     -   each of R₅ and R₆ is

-   -    where R₇ is independently selected from the group consisting of         hydrogen (H), sulfonate (—SO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium         (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); phosphonate (—PO₃ ⁻) salt of sodium         (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺); and carboxylate (—CO₂ ⁻)         salt of sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺) or lithium (Li⁺);     -   with the proviso that at least one of R₃, R₄, and R₇ is not H.

In one embodiment, the peptide quantitation methods provided herein use as chelator bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate shown below:

Without being held to a single theory, the complex increases the solubility of the bathocuproine, resulting in enhanced performance in the methods provided herein compared to previous methods.

The methods provided herein contain a higher amount of Cu⁺² (80 mg/ml). The methods provided herein reduce Cu⁺² to Cu⁺ as in the BCA method, but in the instant methods the bathocuproine ion then combines with Cu⁺ forming a green/orange complex with an absorbance in the range of 450 nm to 500 nm, in one embodiment at 480 nm.

The absorbance-based methods according to certain embodiments provided herein were evaluated with different peptides and protein digests. Assay conditions such as peptide concentration, detection reagent concentration, pH, incubation time, temperature and the ratio of different components were optimized. The peptides were assayed on a multi-well plate (e.g., 96 well plate) and the measurements were conducted using a spectrophotometer to measure absorbance at 480 nm.

EXAMPLE

In one embodiment, 20 μl sample is added to a prepared or pre-made working reagent (which is made by mixing 6.9 mM sodium tartrate dihydrate, 0.04 M bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt, and 0.32 M copper sulfate). The solution is mixed for one minute, incubated for 30 minutes at 37° C. and absorbance is measured at 480 nm.

A working solution is prepared by combining three solutions. Solution 1 is prepared by mixing sodium tartrate, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, and sodium bicarbonate into water. Solution 2 is prepared by mixing bathocuproinedisulfonic acid, disodium salt hydrate into water optionally containing acetonitrile. Solution 3 is prepared by mixing cupric sulfate pentahydrate into water. The working solution is formed by combining solutions 1, 2, and 3. Specifically, solution 1 is prepared by mixing, into 50 ml water, 80 mg sodium tartrate (6.9 mM), 3.42 g sodium carbonate (0.65 M), 0.525 ml sodium hydroxide, and 0.89 g sodium bicarbonate (0.22 M). Solution 2 is prepared by mixing, into 50 ml 50% acetonitrile (25 ml acetonitrile, 25 ml water), 1.13 g bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate (0.04 M). Solution 3 is prepared by mixing, into 2 ml water, 160 mg cupric sulfate pentahydrate (0.32 M).

The working solution is formed by combining 50 parts Solution 1, 48 parts Solution 2, and 2 parts Solution 3.

A volume of 5 μl to 20 μl, typically 20 μl, of standard or sample containing peptides or protein is combined with the working solution, shaken for one minute, and incubated from about 22° C. to about 45° C. for, preferably 37° C., for 30 minutes. In one embodiment, 20 μl standard or sample is combined with 180 μl working solution, shaken for one min, and incubated at 45° C. for 30 minutes. In one embodiment, incubation is at 37° C. After incubation, absorbance at 480 nm is measured. The pH range of the final assay mixture is about pH 12 to 13.

While automated absorbance readings, using automated plate readers, are desirable for speed and convenience, the absorbance measurement of the reaction mixture measured in a cuvette may still be used.

In one embodiment, the methods provided herein quantitate peptides to be subjected to MS analysis. Peptides may include mass tags such as TMT or other covalent modifications used in MS. Peptides to be quantitated may include one or more heavy isotope labeled amino acids.

In one embodiment, the methods provided herein use single peptide or digested protein standard to generate a standard curve for peptide and/or protein quantitation. In another embodiment, a protein standard is used to generate a standard curve for protein quantitation. The accuracy and precision by which a standard curve is generated is crucial for accurate and precise sample measurement. In one embodiment, a standard curve comprises a mixture of peptides generated from a tryptic digest of bovine serum albumin (BSA) or Protein A/G using methods known in the art. Choice of a standard that produces an assay response close to the average for the sample type being analyzed produces the most accurate results.

Another embodiment provides for kits containing reagents and instructions for performing the methods described herein. For example, the kit may contain some or all of the reagents, and instructions, needed to prepare the working solution; one or more standards or instructions to prepare the standards; instructions to perform the assay; microwell plates, etc.

Over 30 different peptides, peptide mixtures, digests, and samples consistent with standard MS analysis were evaluated and are, summarized in Table 1. A majority (over 70%) of the samples showed reproducible and linear results.

TABLE 1  SEQ MW Ref. ID Peptide Sequence (Da) # NO w/o Lysine VIP (1-12), human, porcine, rat HSDAVFTDNYTR 1425.5 W1 1 Beta-Amyloid (1-12) DAEFRHDSGYEV 1424.5 W2 2 Beta-Amyloid (1-8)-Cys DAEFRHDSC 1079.1 W3 3 Beta-Amyloid (1-13) DAEFRHDSGYEVH 1561.6 W4 4 mid-Lysine Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) SEVKMDAEFR 1211.4 M1 5 (667-676) ACTH (1-17) SYSMEHFRWGKPVGKKR 2093.4 M2 6 Beta-Amyloid (4-17) FRHDSGYEVHHQKL 1752.9 M3 7 Histatin-8 [Hemagglutination- KFHEKHHSHRGY 1562.7 M4 8 Inhibiting Peptide (HIP)] C-terminus Lysine VSV-G Peptide YTDIEMNRLGK 1339.5 E1 9 Beta-Amyloid (3-16) EFRHDSGYEVHHQK 1768.9 E2 10 Beta-Amyloid (1-16) DAEFRHDSGYEVHHQK 1955 E3 11 Antennapedia Peptide, acid RQIKIWFQNRRMKWKK 2246.8 E4 12 CEF26, Influenza Virus NP  ILRGSVAHK 980.2 E5 13 (265-274) MOG (35-55), mouse, rat MEVGWYRSPFSRWHLYR 2582 E6 14 NGK w/o Lysine ACTH (1-10) SYSMEHFRWG 1299.4 W5 15 [Ile-Ser]-Bradykinin (T-Kinin) ISRPPGFSPFR 1260.5 W6 16 Leptin (93-105), human NVIQISNDLENLR 1527.7 W7 17 mid-Lysine Beta-Amyloid (10-20) YEVHHQKLVFF 1446.7 M5 18 [Lys8,9]-Neurotensin (8-13) KKPYIL 761 M6 19 OVA (257-264) SIINFEKL 963.2 M7 20 c-terminus Lysine Dynorphin A (2-13), porcine GGFLRRIRPKLK 1440.8 E7 21 Beta-Amyloid (18-28) VFFAEDVGSNK 1212.3 E8 22

The methods described herein using bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate method are sensitive down to 25 μg/ml peptide. This sensitivity substantially exceeds that of the MICRO BCA™ assay, which is more sensitive than the standard BCA method. Sensitivity is shown in FIGS. 1-3 quantitating peptide W1 (FIG. 1 ), BSA digest (FIG. 2 ) and insulin (FIG. 3 ), respectively. Limit of quantitation (LOQ) was calculated using the equation (10×(st. dev. of blank+avg. of blank)) and the LOQ for the method described herein and the MICRO BCA™ assay was 21.58 μg/ml and 77.40 μg/ml respectively.

Standard solution, peptide samples, or protein digests were loaded at 20 μl/well into microplates. Assay working reagent was added at 180 μl/well working solution. The plate was sealed, quickly mixed and incubated for 30 minutes at 22° C.-45° C. Absorbance was read at 480 nm using a SPECTRAMAX™ Plus384 or VARIOSKAN™ Flash (Type 3001) microplate reader. The established working peptide concentration range for the absorbance assays was 25 μg/ml-1000 μg/ml. Sample volumes of 5 μl-20 μl were used allowing for <1 μg peptide to be loaded for an assay sample for the absorbance assay.

The method described herein demonstrated 3-4 fold increase in S/N, compared to the MICRO BCA™ assay for all peptides tested. The average concentration at the limit of quantification (LOQ) was about 15 μg/ml.

The method described herein provides a robust signal and thus results in improved signal/background (S/B) ratio, which is the ratio of absorbance at 480 nm at a particular concentration to the absorbance at 480 nm of a blank. This is obtained, e.g., by the following calculation:

${{Signal}\text{/}{Background}\mspace{11mu}\left( {S\text{/}B} \right)\mspace{14mu}{at}\mspace{14mu} 500\mspace{14mu}{µg}\text{/}{mL}} = \frac{A_{480}\mspace{14mu} 0f\mspace{14mu} 500\mspace{14mu}{µg}\text{/}{mL}\mspace{14mu}{sample}}{A_{480}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{blank}}$

As shown in FIG. 1 for peptide W1, the present method yielded S/B of 311, compared to the MICRO BCA™ assay S/B of 87. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 2 for BSA digest, the present method yielded S/B of 201 compared to the MICRO BCA™ assay S/B of 55. For insulin (FIG. 3 ), the present method yielded S/B of 269 compared to the MICRO BCA™ assay S/B of 81. The present method showed a 3-4 fold increase in signal over the MICRO BCA™ assay. These peptides differed in peptide length and hydrophobicity which resulted in different sensitivity; Table 1 provides exact sequences.

The variation range in signal intensity among different peptides was reasonable. Optimizations, such as using an organic solvent and/or higher incubation temperatures, further decreased variability. Other organic solvents and/or detergents such as SDS may also reduce variability. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , a range of various peptides were quantitated using 0.04 M bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate in water at 37° C., resulting in 39% variability. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the same peptides were quantitated using 0.04 M bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate in acetonitrile (an organic solvent) at 45° C., variability was reduced to 28%. The example shown in FIG. 5B shows the same peptides quantitated using 0.04 M bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate in 50% acetonitrile at 37° C. The method described herein provided less variability likely due to better solubilizing and better formulation of bathocuproine due to the presence of the disodium salt hydrate and optimized incubation conditions using an organic solvent and increased temperature. As an example, peptides that are hydrophobic add to variability; acetonitrile reduces variability possibly by reducing secondary and tertiary peptide structures and/or increasing peptide solubility.

In one embodiment, the amount of acetonitrile in the assay composition was optimized. FIGS. 6A-B demonstrate the effect of varying amounts of acetonitrile in the methods provided herein. Acetonitrile concentrations ranging from 0% to 50% were used to prepare 0.04 M bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate solution. The formulations were then tested on different concentration of HeLa cell digest (15.6 μg/ml protein to 400 μg/ml protein) and BSA digest, which were incubated at 45° C. Both digests were prepared by reducing the appropriate protein with DTT, alkylated with IAA, blocked excess IAA with DTT, digested with trypsin, then cleaned up using a C18 column. As shown in FIGS. 6A-B, as the percentage of acetonitrile increased in the formulation, the S/N and assay sensitivity improved. There was 68% improvement between no acetonitrile in the bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate formulation and 50% acetonitrile in the bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate formulation.

The effect of acetonitrile in detecting single peptides using the method provided herein was evaluated. The results are shown in FIG. 7A for peptide E4 and in FIG. 7B for peptide E1. Two solutions (0.04 M bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate in 50% acetonitrile solution and 0.04 M bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate in water) were prepared. Thirteen peptides (data shown for peptides E4 and E1) were prepared with concentrations from 15.6 μg/ml to 500 μg/ml. Reagent solution (180 μl) was mixed with 20 μl peptide samples and incubated at 37° C. for 30 min.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the presence of acetonitrile in the formulation improved the S/N ratio and improved assay sensitivity. There was an average of 45% increase in signal intensity obtained with acetonitrile incorporated in the bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate formulation.

FIG. 8 shows the peptide concentration of three different protein digests using protein A/G to generate a standard curve. The results were extremely reproducible even using a fluorescamine assay, which measures peptide concentration by labeling the N-termini of peptides (Thermo Scientific Nano Drop Protocol. Fluorescamine Protein Assay 2008) and the present method using the same standards.

Results from the present method (FIG. 9A), a direct one-step method, were compared with the previously described indirect two-step method (FIG. 9B).

The present method used 0.04 M bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate in 50% acetonitrile-water mixture; the working solution was 0.48 bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt dehydrate solution: 0.5 sodium tartrate solution: 0.02 copper sulfate solution.

The indirect two-step method used ascorbic acid as reducing agent to reduce unreacted Cu⁺² to Cu⁺¹ and then subsequently chelate bathocuproine to Cu⁺¹. The amount of bathocuproine in the indirect two-step method was 0.8 mmol/liter, about 500 times lower than the concentration of bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt dehydrate in the present method. The two-step indirect method used a much higher assay total volume of 3 ml, compared to an assay total volume of 200 μl in the present method. A comparison of FIGS. 9A and 9B demonstrates that the present method showed more linearity and better sensitivity than the indirect two-step method.

In certain embodiments, the methods provided herein may be used to quantitate labeled proteins and/or peptides. For example, labels used in MS, such as TMT, may be added to the protein or peptide. As shown in FIG. 10 , the present method similarly detected and quantitated both TMT labeled and unlabeled HeLa digests. Because the methods provided herein are based on the reduction of copper, which is largely dependent on the peptide amide-backbone, they are not affected by peptide modifications such as TMT-labeling of amine groups. This is demonstrated in FIG. 10 showing identical responses for a TMT-labeled and unlabeled sample. This allows load/injection amounts of TMT-labeled samples to be standardized between MS analysis experiments improving results and consistency. The present method was also comparable with most digestion and solubilization reagents that are typically used in mass spectrometry analysis, such as triethylamine, urea, dithiothreitol, acetonitrile (shown in FIGS. 5A-B), formic acid, and trifluoroacetic acid.

One embodiment provides a microplate assay for simple, reliable, and sensitive quantitation of individual peptides or complex digests that can be used to aid in evaluation and normalization of samples before MS analysis. Non-small lung carcinoma cell lines were treated with ten different sets of conditions, lysed, reduced, alkylated, and digested with trypsin before desalting using C18 columns. The concentration of each digest was then determined using the bathocuproine-based peptide assay according to the present teachings. The same results were generated using the fluorescamine-based assay (Thermo Scientific Nanodrop Protocol. Fluorescamine protein assay. 2008) as demonstrated in FIG. 11A. Each peptide sample concentration was then normalized before labeling individually with one of the Thermo Scientific TMT1OPLEX™ Isobaric labeling reagents. Labeled samples were combined before peptide identification and relative quantitation using a Thermo Scientific ORBITRAP FUSION™ mass spectrometer. After normalization, non-regulated peptides displayed ratios of 1:1:1:1:1:1:1:1:1 despite complex sample handling and preparation, as shown in FIG. 11B.

The methods described herein provided enhanced sensitivity and flexibility compared to current methods, making them an excellent tool for determining and monitoring the concentration of peptide samples. They required a relatively small sample volume (10 μl-20 μl), yet still providing excellent sensitivity with a working peptide concentration range of 25 μg/ml-1000 μg/ml. They are useful tools for monitoring in common MS applications, e.g., they arepeptide amide-backbone dependent allowing for the quantitation of both labeled and unlabeled peptides.

The embodiments shown and described herein are only specific embodiments and are not limiting in any way. Therefore, various changes, modifications, or alterations to those embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention in the scope of the following claims. The references cited are expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A kit for protein or peptide quantitation of a sample comprising: (a) a reagent composition comprising sodium carbonate; (b) a reagent composition comprising acetonitrile and a complex having the formula:

wherein each of R₁ and R₂ is independently chosen from C₁-C₆ straight and branched alkyls, C₆-C₂₀ aryl, alkylaryl, and arylalkyls; each of R₃ and R₄ is independently chosen from the group consisting of hydrogen; sulfonate salts chosen from sodium, potassium, and lithium; phosphonate salts chosen from sodium, potassium, and lithium; and carboxylate salts chosen from sodium, potassium, and lithium; and each of R₅ and R₆ is

 wherein R₇ is independently chosen from the group consisting of hydrogen; sulfonate salts chosen from sodium, potassium, and lithium; phosphonate salts chosen from sodium, potassium, and lithium; and carboxylate salts chosen from sodium, potassium, and lithium; with the proviso that at least one of R₃, R₄, and R₇ is not H; (c) a reagent composition comprising copper sulfate; and (d) instructions for the peptide quantitation determination, wherein the determination comprises combining the components (a), (b), and (c) with the sample to form a colored complex, wherein acetonitrile is present in the combination at a concentration ranging from about 10% to about 50%, wherein the kit does not contain an additional reducing agent to reduce excess Cu²⁺ to Cu¹⁺, and wherein the concentration of peptide or protein in said sample is directly proportional to the amount of colored complex that forms once the sample and components are mixed.
 2. The kit of claim 1, wherein the complex is present in the combination at a concentration ranging from about 0.04 M to about 0.1 M.
 3. The kit of claim 1, wherein each of R₁ and R₂ is independently chosen from methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, and phenyl.
 4. The kit of claim 1, wherein the kit further comprises (e) an internal standard chosen from peptides, peptide mixtures, and protein digests.
 5. The kit of claim 1, wherein the complex has the formula:


6. The kit of claim 5, wherein the acetonitrile is present at a concentration ranging from about 10% to about 30%.
 7. The kit of claim 1, wherein the copper sulfate is present at a concentration ranging from about 0.25 M to about 0.5 M.
 8. The kit of claim 1, wherein the reagent composition of (a) further comprises tartrate.
 9. The kit of claim 8, wherein the tartrate is present at a concentration ranging from about 5.7 mM to about 22.7 mM.
 10. The kit of claim 8, where the tartrate is sodium tartarate.
 11. The kit of claim 1, wherein the reagent composition of (a) further comprises sodium bicarbonate. 